Chasing Pavements
by SophieWofy
Summary: Written on request for HannahLouise16x. What happened when Sean took Lucas and Amelia to Saudi Arabia, and how does a ten year old deal with the death of his baby brother?
1. Chapter 1

_This is a request fic for Hannah Louise16x, who asked that I write a Jess and Adam fic. I couldn't really remember the whole storyline so I've had to read a recap or two, so if I get a few things wrong just tell me and I'll change it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy :) x_

* * *

My name is Lucas Anderson, and I'm ten years old. I didn't want to come and see you but Mum made me. She said that it would help stop my nightmares. I didn't believe her, and I don't think Linda did either from the look on her face, but she said that if we wanted to enjoy America, we had to deal with all the bad things that had happened before.

We're all seeing a psychiatrist, me, Mum and Amelia. Linda's not; she doesn't need to. She hasn't been through all the things we have. She's just Mum's friend who came to America with us, and she's paying for us to see you. Well, I'm seeing you. Mum and Milly are seeing different people. They're with them now, while I'm with you.

I didn't want to come, but as Linda's paying, I don't want to waste her money. So I might as well talk to you anyway, because otherwise there'll be an hour sitting in your room in silence, and I think I might just die of boredom if I do that. So here's my story.

* * *

When we went to Saudi Arabia, it was just Dad, Amelia and me. Mum couldn't fly because of the baby, but she would come out and visit us soon. That's what we were told on the first day. After a few days there, though, things changed. Dad started spending a lot of time on the phone, while Milly and I played in the pool. We had such a nice house; it had it's own pool and a massive garden and loads of places to play hide and seek in.

Whenever we asked when Mum would come out and join us, Dad told us she'd been bad and there were problems. I didn't think Mum would do bad things, she always told Milly and I off when we were naughty and I've never seen her be bad, but I believed Dad. Why would he lie? It explained why he was always on the phone, as well.

Days turned into weeks, and Dad took a job in a Saudi hospital. We had a nanny, Isra, who would take us out to places and buy us things. When we went out, Milly had to wear a scarf on her head. She took it off once and Isra shouted at her. I didn't really understand what she said, but apparently it's really bad if you don't do as you're told in Saudi Arabia. It's worse than in England. I guess it made sense why Mum couldn't join us.

We spoke to her only a couple of times on the phone. She seemed upset, but that was probably because she couldn't come out and see us. I wanted to ask her what she'd done that was so bad, but Dad had warned us that if we did he'd end the phone call immediately. It seemed that we weren't allowed to know anything.

In all honesty, we didn't care. We liked Saudi, we liked the freedom we had and the fact that we didn't have to go to school. Sure, we didn't have many friends but it didn't matter. I had Milly and she had me. We didn't really argue; we couldn't afford to. If we fell out we'd be on our own.

We were going to go to school but the only one that we could go to and speak English at was too far away. Isra taught us Arabic so we could talk to people and eventually go to a Saudi school, while Dad taught us things in the evening so we didn't get too behind.

Sometimes he took us to work with him, where there were a couple more English doctors who had children of their own we played with. Bobby and Kate and Sarah and Taylor and Jaysen. They were the only friends we had, but we had fun. Sometimes Isra took all of us out together, with their nannies as well. We'd go to the park or to the shops and though we couldn't understand the signs, we'd just talk to each other and ask Isra what things were if we needed to.

Things were different, but a nice kind of different. At least I didn't have to worry about getting into trouble for not doing homework, but I missed my friends. I missed Mum as well, but I didn't tell Dad that. He shouted at us every time her name was mentioned. Soon we learnt not to talk about her at all.

Soon, we began to forget she even existed.


	2. Chapter 2

_I don't know how many of you noticed the glaring error on the last chapter, where I accidentally posted the start of this chapter on the end. Big major whoopsie there, but it's all fixed now. If you're reading this, please comment, it lets me know whether you love it or hate it or where I'm going wrong. So, yeah, chapter 2. :)_

* * *

It's not as if me talking to you is doing any good. All it's doing is making me remember things I'd rather forget about. But if I've got to talk to you, you might as well not bother listening. Nothing I've got to say is interesting, anyway. It's just the last year or two of my life, which is more boring than one of those stupid documentaries that they show on TV. Nobody cares about them, and nobody cares about my life either. It's just the story of a kid who's been living in three different countries because his parents split up and a load of stuff that happened. Like I said, boring.

* * *

One day, things changed. Dad told us we had to pack all our clothes and toys because we were going back to England. It all seemed really abrupt, but when it was just Milly and me in the bedroom, she said something that made me think.

"Dad's in trouble."

"No he's not." I sat down on my bed and began to pack up my things. "He can't be, he's not like Mum."

Milly shook her head. "I heard him on the phone last night. He said he made a mistake and we had to go back. Something he did means he's in trouble."

Dad couldn't be in trouble, though. Could he?

I was going to miss Saudi, miss Isra and our friends and not having to go to school. We'd settled in to life here so quickly I couldn't imagine going back to England.

It only really sunk in on the way to the airport. Dad hadn't packed any stuff, which surprised me. He said it was because he had to come back and finish some work off, but we'd have to stay with Mum for a while.

That wasn't what I wanted. I loved Saudi, and I told Dad I wanted to stay with him. He said I had to go, though, and he'd be over to see us again pretty soon. I still wasn't happy, but I didn't want my last memory of Saudi to be an argument.

The flight was long enough to sleep on, but I stayed awake, watching films on the back of the seat in front of me. Before I knew it we were in England again, and had to get off the plane.

We collected our suitcases and went through to the exit. Mum was standing there, and we just stared at her. She looked so different to how we remembered her. She came over to us and hugged Milly and me.

"I've missed you both so much," she told us, tears falling down her face. "Let's go home."

"What, back on a flight to Saudi?"

Mum stared at me. "No, back to Holby. It's not the house that you lived in before, though. It's a different one."

"Why?"

"Because your dad sold it."

I looked up at Dad.

"Only so I could pay for our flights, Lucas." He patted me on the shoulder. "Now you be a good boy for your mum, and I'll see you soon, alright."

I nodded, and gave him a hug before we walked out of the airport, leaving him standing alone. As I looked back I saw two policemen approach him.

"Mum," I pleaded, grabbing her arm to turn her round. "Why're the police talking to Dad?"

She shrugged. "He's in trouble. But it's nothing for you to worry about. Come on, I've got a surprise for you in the car."

Milly smiled. "Told you so," she whispered in my ear.


	3. Chapter 3

We had to come back to England. It wasn't as if we had much of a choice. I was only nine at the time, and Milly eleven. When you're that age, you have to do what you're told. So we came back to England, and Dad got arrested. I haven't seen him since that day at the airport. Mum later said it was because he kidnapped us. But you can't kidnap your own kids. Can you?

* * *

Mum led us over to a car, where a man was sitting in the driver's seat. He wound down the window and smiled.

"Heya, kids."

I glared at him. Who was he, acting like our dad or something? Nobody could replace our dad.

"Amelia, Lucas, this is Adam. Do you remember him?"

I shook my head. It was a lie, but I didn't want to admit to knowing who he was. He was taking over Dad's role, and I wasn't happy about it. He was going to know that pretty soon.

"Sort of," Milly mumbled. She opened the back door of the car. "Why's there a baby in the car?"

"That's your little brother, Harry."

I scowled. I didn't want a brother, especially not a baby. They were smelly and cried all the time. Everything was fine with just me and Amelia. Why did things have to change? I stood in the street while Mum loaded our bags into the boots and Milly got into the back.

"Get into the car, Lucas." Adam called from the front seat.

"Why do I have to do what you say? It's not like you're my dad or anything."

"Stop arguing!" That was Milly, and I was shocked she was on Adam's side. "You'll wake the baby up."

I pulled a face. "If he's my brother, how comes Mum didn't bring him to Saudi like Dad said was going to happen? How comes they stayed with you? You're not part of our family, and you never will be!"

I started to run off, but Mum grabbed my arm. "Stop that right now. Adam's been good to me while your Dad took you to Saudi. He gave me somewhere to live, he's been looking after Harry when I've gone out and he's been a lot nicer to me than your dad was this past year. So stop acting like a brat and try and be nice, ok?"

I nodded. Mum very rarely shouted, so when she did, I knew it was serious. I got into the back of the car and sat next to Milly in silence.

We got back to Holby after a couple of hours in the traffic. Harry slept the whole journey, so we had to be quiet, though Adam put the radio on.

It was strange being back in England after so long in Saudi. Everything seemed different and weird, even though a year ago it had been all we'd ever known. Back in Holby, though, we went to Adam's house rather than our old one that Dad had sold.

It was smaller than our old house, but it still had three bedrooms. Adam took our stuff upstairs while Mum showed us round. I didn't really care much for it, the house in Saudi had been a lot bigger and better than this one. For a start, there was no swimming pool and the garden was tiny.

But he did have a XBox. I couldn't take my eyes off the console; Dad had never let us get one as he said we'd waste too much time on it.

"You like the XBox, eh?" Adam stood behind me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"No."

"Well, if you do decide you want a game, there's a load on the end of the DVD shelf." He pointed to where a shelf stretched the whole length of the wall and was full of DVDs and games. A second shelf ran parallel on the opposite wall and was full of CDs. Adam obviously liked his entertainment.

I nodded.

"What do you say?"

"Thanks," I mumbled, not wanting Mum to tell me off again.

Adam rubbed his hands together. "Right, who wants what for dinner? It's too late to cook now, so I'll just get a takeaway in. Pizza, Chinese or Indian?"

* * *

_So that's the end of part three. The kids are back in England, but will it be happy families again? Not if I've got anything to do with it! _

_On the subject of happy, happy new year to everyone! Hope you all have a great 2011, and don't forget that shiny review button will make my new year happy as well :) x_


	4. Chapter 4

_Welcome to 2011, everyone! Hope you all had a fantastic New Year; I know I did. Here's chapter four of the story. :) _

* * *

Yeah, so what if I was horrible to Adam? I'm only a kid, after all. I don't know if your parents ever split up when you were little, but if they did, then you'll know the feeling when you see one of them with a new partner. It's as if it finalises the separation; that there's no way back now. I guess that's what went through my mind when I saw Mum with Adam at the airport.

* * *

We ended up with Chinese for dinner. Adam paid for it all, despite Mum's insistance. Harry slept all the way through the meal, only waking up at the end. Mum had finished so she went to feed him.

"Are you Mum's new boyfriend?" Milly asked Adam when it was just the three of us.

Adam shook his head. "We're just good friends, that's all."

I raised an eyebrow. "You share a bed."

"Only because there'd be no room for you two otherwise. Your mum's been sleeping in my room with Harry while I've been in the guest room. We had to convert the box room to put an extra bed in it just for you."

"When did you know we were coming home?"

"Last night. Jes- your mum was on the phone to your dad for ages, and when she came off she said he'd be bringing you back. We cleared the junk out of the box room and put the camp bed up this morning."

I nodded, unconvinced. "When did you and Mum meet?"

"We work together."

"At the hospital?"

Adam nodded.

"Do you know Dad?"

"No, we were in different departments. I only knew your dad through your mum."

"Do you like him?"

Adam twitched his arm. "I don't really know him. I only met him a couple of times."

"And?"

"Stop it!" Milly stood up and grabbed a game off the shelf before hitting me on the arm with it. "What does it matter? Dad's not here, he's in trouble and you arguing with Adam about him won't help."

I sighed and grabbed the game from her. "Can we play this?" I asked Adam.

He looked at the cover, then nodded. "Controllers are in the box. Me against the pair of you?"

"So you're going to lose then?" I grinned. "Game on."

I don't know how long we played on the Xbox, and when Mum came downstairs from settling Harry, she joined in as well. It was just like it used to be; me, Milly, Mum and Dad. Except instead of Dad, it was Adam. For some reason, I didn't seem to mind.


	5. Chapter 5

_Only a short chapter today, sorry. Still, a small chapter's better than no chapter at all, right? x_

* * *

At first, I resented Adam living with us. It was as though he was replacing Dad, which I didn't want to happen. Mum took me and Milly aside one day though and told us that whatever happened, Adam wasn't going to become our new Dad, unless we wanted him to. She told us to give him a chance though, as he was Harry's dad and Harry was part of the family now. So we gave him a chance.

* * *

Gradually, we got used to living with Adam. It wasn't the same as Saudi, but we settled back into life in England fine. We went back to our old school, with all our old friends, and pretty quickly it was as though we'd never left.

We never saw Dad after he got arrested at the airport. I found out from Charlie Bean that he'd been charged with kidnapping me and Milly. Charlie's dad is an inspector at the police station, and Charlie knows everything. If you want to find something out, you ask Charlie Bean. It's just the way things are.

I asked Mum whether that was true. The way she tried to change the subject told me it was. At first I was annoyed. We'd wanted to go to Saudi, and you can't kidnap your own kids. But after I saw Mum crying about it later on, I knew it must have upset her that we'd gone and she hadn't. I decided not to bring it up again.

Things went pretty well for the next few months. I grew to like Adam, and when he announced he was going to marry Mum, I was actually happy for them. I got to be a page boy, and Milly was going to be a bridesmaid.

I knew then that Mum and Dad would never get back together, but I didn't mind. Sure, Adam was never going to replace Dad, but he was pretty cool. When he looked after us in the evenings when Mum worked, we'd be allowed to stay up later than she ever let us, and we'd play on the Xbox until we nearly fell asleep on the sofa. He'd buy us sweets whenever he took us out and make us promise not to tell Mum.

It was going to be a winter wedding. Mum spent ages trying to find the perfect outfit, she was so excited. I could tell she was a lot happier with Adam than she had been with Dad. She wasn't arguing all the time, and she had a lot more time to spend with me, Milly and Harry.

Eventually the wedding day arrived. If I'd known then we were going to be in an accident, I would have begged Adam to have been more careful driving. But of course nobody can predict a car crash.

Nobody can predict the scariest moment of their life.


End file.
